Medical experts said companies should focus on two types of ways the virus could spread: person-to-person and object-to-person. The most efficient thing that companies can do to make consumers feel safe deals with the latter: 81 percent of consumers said habitually cleaning high-traffic surfaces would make them feel more comfortable in businesses amid the coronavirus outbreak, including 55 percent who said it would make them feel “much more” comfortable.
Gyms face a unique challenge with this measure — sweaty customers sharing equipment, much of which they need to touch with their hands, doesn’t exactly scream hygiene — not only in convincing members that their space is safe but also in taking on the burden of elevated costs in cleaning all that equipment.
“Certainly there is going to be an impact to the operating costs of the gym,” said Chad Waetzig, executive vice president of marketing and branding for Crunch Fitness. He said he couldn’t put a figure on the full cost of cleaning until more locations reopen but predicts gyms across the country could be increasing their monthly dues to pay for the additional cleaning costs.
